Game-based Learning and Nutrition Literacy
Nutribuddy, art and mobile devices in health literacy, was a project funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation that aimed to improve youngsters' nutrition literacy by engaging them in an educational game designed for mobile platforms (Android and iOS-based). Mobile device applications can provide an opportunity to broaden access to health information by promoting literacy, especially among children and young people who are adapting to new technologies. The use of digital media technologies has been considered relevant to promote health-related behaviours through motivational reinforcement, personalised teaching approaches, and social networking.



As mobile platforms and networks have become more powerful, more dynamic and more available to all, the mobility of ICT has changed the scenario of the two separate spheres of learning: in schools or everywhere. Nowadays, learners can access ICT constantly through platforms such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptop computers, and thus there has been a rise in interest in investigating the subject. It was also a vital element of the project to evaluate the youngsters’ interaction with the game and its potential to dietary change, contributing to obesity prevention. The underlying assumption is that this kind of application can facilitate people to change individual behaviours by appealing to intrinsically motivating strategies.






The game combined four levels of varying complexity and game mechanics, such as a running game, a memory game, and a quiz. The fourth level is the restaurant. The challenge is to keep the game's character healthy by feeding him outside the home, using several 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' items and adequate or oversized portions, and understanding their possible impacts.

The interface displays three indicator bars (energy, health, and wellbeing) that change based on player choices. This feedback provides immediate visual information, based on scientific data, about these three features across all possible food options. As a reinforcement, the game launches an alert to reward the intended behaviours or warn about unhealthy choices.